Trouble logging in?We were forced to invalidate all account passwords. You will have to reset your password to login. If you have trouble resetting your password, please send us a message with as much helpful information as possible, such as your username and any email addresses you may have used to register. Whatever you do, please do not create a new account. That is not the right solution, and it is against our forum rules to own multiple accounts.

houkoholic, please give me some credit for having at least half a brain. What I described was not astonishment at seeing her cater to otaku, but rather my own reaction at how easily she slipped into it and the impression it made on me of being old hat for her. Even if it's her job to do that, the fact remains that the thought crossed my mind that it's very calculated on her part.

For those who don't know my opinions well, I am not a big Aya fan. In fact, I think she's one of the biggest sensations to be nearly shoved down our collective throats lately. While she has potential to develop into a good seiyuu, I don't see her having many skills right now.

As usual, houkoholic's posts are fascinating and largely accurate, as far as my knowledge goes. I see constant tension between Aaya as she is and Aaya's old public image, which 2channel posters keep lamenting the loss of (the black hair in particular). But I don't see Aaya being sold as moe-kitten any more, at least on her blog or in this year's interviews. For me, spunky professional keeps coming through, even somewhat in the Voicha video, where she is at her most moe.

I'll certainly be more skeptical of the vulnerability, but it seems to be real to me. I think what has happened since December is that she dropped out of college and cut back on public appearances and number of concurrent roles, so as to avoid falling over again. But she's still working hard, making a final run at stardom before going back to school full-time.

I think that the agency was in the past pushing her as a moe-kitten, but that they have now given her a female manager who is helping her aim more for sexy than moe, as she herself would prefer. On the other hand, I think she is not a real rocker, more a middle-class wannabe. But that may be good enough in Japan. I'm not trying to be snide, just asking the question, really. She certainly would prefer to be a star as an idol or an actress, since those are more respected and more remunerated, but she probably realizes that her talent is as a seiyuu, and she is working to become famous for her verbal skill and to improve her voice-acting all round.

As for what otaku want, that's a problem. But Aaya may be solving the problem in her own way, by creating the image of a very pretty nice-girl rocker professional seiyuu with special talent. Her style and talent are not of the kind otaku normally like, but she seems to be creating her own fanbase, at least so far. The "Hirano should just die" posts on 2channel seem further apart these days. But maybe that's just because there are more posts about how cute she is and what people would like to do with her, lol.

There is a list of largely fake or out-of-context quotes about her going around, to make it look like she despises otaku and other seiyuu. They are spurious, and I don't hear her really doing anything but appreciate her otaku fans, but I thought it was pretty telling that when they asked her in the NHK interview what kind of guy she liked, she said: "One who looks good in a suit." Maybe that was mainly for the consumption of NHK and its general audience, but I get the feeling it might be true.

I should add that I am not putting down any other seiyuu or even making comparisons. I like Hocchan's work, for example. But I enjoy Aaya's verbal style more, and she is the first seiyuu whose jump from mid-rank to apparent stardom (maybe temporary, we'll see) I have been able to observe fairly closely, so I find her fascinating. I guess Koshimizu Ami is doing it now, too, but no-one seems to hate her the way some do Aaya, so it's less interesting. I know Yahagi Sayuri is not going to be any kind of idol, and will have to do it on the strength of her ability alone.

EDIT: As for sleeping three hours, she apparently said on a Galaxy Angel radio show not that long ago that she normally slept from 4am to 7am. The others said they got between 4 and 6 hours' sleep. The timing of her posts to her blog suggests 4am is true. Maybe that's just her metabolism. If she really is studying late and still going to school...kowaii!

@Vexx: I don't know what's in the wrap/bun. As I understood it, a post on 2channel said it made her look like she was from Nagoya, so maybe it's a Nagoya specialty of some kind. It looks like a small American-style pancake with some kind of cream in it, but I don't know, and she didn't say.

__________________

Kimura Juri木村珠莉 Joined Tokyo Voice Actors' Co-op in 2011, did voice-overs for corporate presentations. Anime bit parts 2013-14. Stars in Shirobako as Miyamori, will star in Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku (spring). Enjoys music, looking at Buddha images, reading. Used to work at a bookstore. Says she is a maudlin drunk. Age unknown.Hashihime blog | Twitter@nakanokimi |

houkoholic, please give me some credit for having at least half a brain. What I described was not astonishment at seeing her cater to otaku, but rather my own reaction at how easily she slipped into it and the impression it made on me of being old hat for her. Even if it's her job to do that, the fact remains that the thought crossed my mind that it's very calculated on her part.

For those who don't know my opinions well, I am not a big Aya fan. In fact, I think she's one of the biggest sensations to be nearly shoved down our collective throats lately. While she has potential to develop into a good seiyuu, I don't see her having many skills right now.

You have to do it if you want to be successful I think. I admit it is somewhat annoying to have anything seem forced on you (See my talk about Shrek, Borat and Spiderman). Once the whole Otaku Goddess thing winds down I think we'll be able to see the real Aya Hirano as she finds her place in the industry. I've often talked about the industry using her as a commodity, but I mean it's up to her what she wants to be.

I kind of wanted to discuss some of the other Seiyuu in the series as well.

I personally like Aya Endo as Miyuki. The deeper voiced female character is something you don't see nearly often enough and she does a great job of conveying a character who is wise beyond her years. Plus she's the only character whose voice has never grated on me once (Even her out of character Ending bit in the one episode was nice). So yeah a nice calm voice, no outbursts, no manic moments and just a straight up delivery perfect for the character.

Emiri Katou the person looks kind of cute and she does an alright job. There are other things I think she could probably do with Kagami, but the simple approach is never a bad one either.

Kaori Fukuhara is alright too I guess. Again a simple approach to the character, do the cute moe stuff and get out of the studio.

Hiromi Konno, you can blame it on the character of Akira, but I find her to be a bit annoying in both modes. One you have her screaming her head off and the other is just kind of grating. Oh well .

Minoru Shiraishi is pretty good. Too bad he doesn't get to talk half the time because Akira starts blabbing. I find him to be the funnier part of the duo in the Lucky Channel bit, but you know he never really gets to talk much so his part is extremely limited even within the confines of his potential 3 or so minute bit.

So out of everybody I think I like Aya Endo's Miyuki the best. She does everything she needs to do and even nails the panicky moments without overselling it.

Well everybody can go back to discussing Aya Hirano now I guess. Just wanted to contribute to the conversation a bit regarding the rest of the cast.

Actually, I think my *favorite* voicing is that of Nanako-sensei (Konomi Maeda) and the loud raunchy accent she bludgeons the class with so faux-badly. Of course, I'm also watching the series Lovely Complex with its dialectical hilarity.

Actually, I think my *favorite* voicing is that of Nanako-sensei (Konomi Maeda) and the loud raunchy accent she bludgeons the class with so faux-badly. Of course, I'm also watching the series Lovely Complex with its dialectical hilarity.

Oh she is fun too. I had forgotten her, but you covered pretty much what I would have imagined myself saying.

Actually, I think my *favorite* voicing is that of Nanako-sensei (Konomi Maeda) and the loud raunchy accent she bludgeons the class with so faux-badly. Of course, I'm also watching the series Lovely Complex with its dialectical hilarity.

Yeah, it helps being able to accept the two, when watching the two.

We can't be leaving out Yui, who's played by Konomi Maeda. Just hearing her voice alone makes me have a huge smile.

Actually, I think my *favorite* voicing is that of Nanako-sensei (Konomi Maeda) and the loud raunchy accent she bludgeons the class with so faux-badly. Of course, I'm also watching the series Lovely Complex with its dialectical hilarity.

Nice catch. I also found myself when I watch Lovely Complex saying: "where is Kuroi-sensei?". I mean, that should be her natural habitat
At the beginning I felt quite uneasy with that accent (both in LoveCom and LS), but it quickly grew on me and it's now something I wouldn't renounce.

My favourite seiyuu perfomance in Lucky Star is that of Katou Emiri (Kagami). I already explained in the favourite main character poll how my liking for Kagami is due to her voice on a consistent percentage ratio. I don't know, she might not be putting out the most difficult of the interpretations, but whenever she's called to show a different side of her character, she never fails once. And I find it amusing that a simple "nanda to?" can crack me up that much.

I like the other voices too, but not as much as Katou Emiri. I didn't know she voiced the young Koushi-dono in Sumomo^6 , I must pay attention the next time I'll watch it. (though if my memory serves me right, there's not much to listen actually).

By the way, I can see only one possible opponent for her on the incoming cast. That's why I'm looking forward for the anime to introduce Patricia Martin, whose seiyuu is none other than the moe goodess Sasaki Nozomi, aka my beloved Nana-chan in Bokura ga Ita

Houkoholic ... a lot of your posts seem to point to some of the more acidic spears from Megatokyo being on target in some respects.

Well Japan is hardly roses all around. And once you start working in the industry you learn more and more about these things.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wavedash

houkoholic, please give me some credit for having at least half a brain. What I described was not astonishment at seeing her cater to otaku, but rather my own reaction at how easily she slipped into it and the impression it made on me of being old hat for her. Even if it's her job to do that, the fact remains that the thought crossed my mind that it's very calculated on her part.

Why would that even be a surprise would be my question. As I've said, it's her job for acting like that whenever she has to face her fans, she's done it thousands of times. It's no different to when an actor having to put on a special act, or a comedian asked to do his most famous impersonation. There's also no calculating on her part because as I've stressed, she was merely responding to the request of the host to act out that very act. What else do you think she will do? Decline the request or make a big fuss about not wanting to do it? She was being professional for doing an act at the request of the host even though it was clearly a trap, that is not the same as being calculated.

...[Hirano Aya] hasn't worked on as a fulltime seiyuu because she's been doing an idol group call Springs for the last few years. If you want catering to moe, Aya definitely knows it better because she's been a professional idol, which is more than you can say for even the most famous idol seiyuu....

While it's true that she has been in an actual idol group ("Springs"), I don't think it's true to say she did it for "the last few" years. All of their singles and their one album appear to have been released in 2003. I think it's more accurate to say that she was briefly in an unsuccessful idol group. By the way, people can see some of their performances and interviews on YouTube. Aaya wasn't the lead singer, as far as I can tell from videos. But she had already done several TV commercials and some anime before she was in the group.

As for the rest of the cast, they all seem to do a good job to me, but the only one who has made me sit up and take notice is Fukuhara Kaori ("Kaorin") as Tsukasa in the last 2-3 episodes. Moe may be common, but moe of that intensity and interest is not. I actually find Katou Emiri's delivery as Kagami kind of rushed or awkward, so that I don't get the force of her lines. But that may just be me, since so many other people seem to like her delivery. Tsundere is one of my least favorite types.

Yui's VA, Nishihara Saori, is almost 40, and this is her first credited anime role. She has been doing commercials and narration before. More info about the seiyuus here. And of course, Sasaki Nozomi is who I'm waiting for, too. I have nothing bad to say about Chihara Minori, and I like her singing, but her role as Yuki was so limited that it didn't prove much, and I haven't seen her previous work.

"Japan is hardly roses all around" (houkoholic) seems like a bit of an understatement to me. The Japanese news seems full of corrupt commercial and political machinations of various kinds. I get the sense -- perhaps unjustified -- that certain worlds in Japan are really the "war of all against all." My sense is that Japanese courtesy hides intense and generalized interpersonal competition. Is this true?

__________________

Kimura Juri木村珠莉 Joined Tokyo Voice Actors' Co-op in 2011, did voice-overs for corporate presentations. Anime bit parts 2013-14. Stars in Shirobako as Miyamori, will star in Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku (spring). Enjoys music, looking at Buddha images, reading. Used to work at a bookstore. Says she is a maudlin drunk. Age unknown.Hashihime blog | Twitter@nakanokimi |

"Japan is hardly roses all around" (houkoholic) seems like a bit of an understatement to me. The Japanese news seems full of corrupt commercial and political machinations of various kinds. I get the sense -- perhaps unjustified -- that certain worlds in Japan are really the "war of all against all." My sense is that Japanese courtesy hides intense and generalized interpersonal competition. Is that true?

Well I've always had the impression that Japanese politicians have huge egos and wish to satisfy them in whatever way they find necessary. Shinzo Abe for one is said to be extemely nationalistic and he has even been accused of attempting to censor the NHK to avoid any unflattering portrayals of Japan. This can be read about here. Also you would imagine that Japan would have a corruption index of the lowest caliber being a developed nation, but it is only ranked 21 of the least corrupt countries making it one of the lowest ranked nations of any developed country.

Also you saw what happened with the Yukana incident in the Zeta Gundam movies right. After it become clear that neither would budge it just disintegrated into mudslinging and well I'm glad Yukana came back from it, but what the heck girls.

One last thing, if you are Korean and in Japan, I've heard you are treated extremely poorly, though Romi Paku has managed against all odds to transcend this. She is of Zainichi Korean descent, which you can read up on here. Although she was born in Japan I doubt she had an easy time growing up.

About Chihara Minori, I have seen other voice work of hers and I have to say I think that her role as Yuki wasn't limited, but that that was about all she can do. It's no surprise that she has seemingly been cast in this type of role again. She just doesn't seem to have any drive or passion in her roles, whether she's doing a quiet character like Yuki or a cutesy character like Aya Natusme or Toua in the upcoming Dragonaut the Resonance. She's just kind of boring really and as such I'm not expecting much from her and I don't think Kyoto Animation is either judging by the limited role they've given her. She'll probably do an ending song and that is why she's here, because she can do that quite well. Otherwise I can think of at least three people including Misato Fukuen, Omi Minami and Naoko Watanabe who would fit the bill far better.

"Japan is hardly roses all around" (houkoholic) seems like a bit of an understatement to me. The Japanese news seems full of corrupt commercial and political machinations of various kinds. I get the sense -- perhaps unjustified -- that certain worlds in Japan are really the "war of all against all." My sense is that Japanese courtesy hides intense and generalized interpersonal competition. Is this true?

Not to derail... but any study of Japan that doesn't include the unpleasant aspects is just drowning by roses. All societies have their "backdoors" and "alleyways" Abe is the nicely painted cover for a nasty clique of ultra-nationalists and a few corporate/clan interests. Much like Bush was painted up to distract that he only actually pays homage to a select inner circle of modern robber barons and you're deceived if you think there's any actual conservative or religious philosophy to it.

The courtesy does put nice icing over corruption (the eyewinks tween yakuza and police, for example), price fixing, clan domination (often concealed by name differences: e.g. the average consumer has no idea that KFC and Taco Bell are the same company -- no real competition).

<shrug> one can understand all those flaws and still love the country and the people. Japan is just historically fascinating for a lot of reasons.

After all, everyone likes the Canadians and they're full of problems under the radar (damned ninja assault moose ).

It looks like Aya Hirano (along with Yuko Goto and Minori Chihara) will be at AX as guests of honor. I can't believe I'm going just because of Aya Hirano. She does an awesome job voicing Konata, and it is because of Konata and not Haruhi that I like her.

Not to derail... but any study of Japan that doesn't include the unpleasant aspects is just drowning by roses. All societies have their "backdoors" and "alleyways" Abe is the nicely painted cover for a nasty clique of ultra-nationalists and a few corporate/clan interests. Much like Bush was painted up to distract that he only actually pays homage to a select inner circle of modern robber barons and you're deceived if you think there's any actual conservative or religious philosophy to it.

The courtesy does put nice icing over corruption (the eyewinks tween yakuza and police, for example), price fixing, clan domination (often concealed by name differences: e.g. the average consumer has no idea that KFC and Taco Bell are the same company -- no real competition).

<shrug> one can understand all those flaws and still love the country and the people. Japan is just historically fascinating for a lot of reasons.

After all, everyone likes the Canadians and they're full of problems under the radar (damned ninja assault moose ).

Don't forget that the courtroom is set up to deal Texas Justice. Basically the odds of you winning a lawsuit or criminal case are about the same as the roll of a dice during a game of craps. Sometimes you get Snake Eyes and some judge with an agenda or hidden bias (Konami Entertainment Japan v. Ichiro Komami) comes in and deals a verdict with judicial reasoning that will make your head spin (Shiori Fujisaki the Tokimeki Memorial character won a punitive damage lawsuit because her[this is a fictional character mind you] "Pure Image" was damaged by her being featured in an H-Doujin that Komami made).

Oh and we don't have a Ninja Assault Moose that I know of, but apparently we have some uber strike force team that was once actually spotted in Montreal by accident with a helicopter landing on a rooftop in the dead of the night and a dead body being lifted into it only a minute later. And then they were gone. Apparently they are something akin to MI6 and answer only to the Prime Minister. Rumours only though.

While it's true that she has been in an actual idol group ("Springs"), I don't think it's true to say she did it for "the last few" years. All of their singles and their one album appear to have been released in 2003. I think it's more accurate to say that she was briefly in an unsuccessful idol group. By the way, people can see some of their performances and interviews on YouTube. Aaya wasn't the lead singer, as far as I can tell from videos. But she had already done several TV commercials and some anime before she was in the group.

The point being that she's been on more TVs than even the most idolised seiyuu can claim, which means that she has way more experience in handling these situations and protarying a certain image to maximise her appeal. Despite being in a rather minor idol group, it is still a teenage girl idol group aiming for the general population, which is unarguably selling out their teenage moe at millions of pervy Japanese men (what else CAN they do besides that?), and that makes her experience in "calculated moe" leagues higher than the majority of the seiyuu. Thus that's the reason that I found saying that Hocchan is more calculated in her moe than Aya is a totally laughable claim.

Quote:

I have nothing bad to say about Chihara Minori, and I like her singing, but her role as Yuki was so limited that it didn't prove much, and I haven't seen her previous work.

I like Minorin more for her singing, though I think she has the potential to be better as a seiyuu. Normally she has a pretty hyper and exaggerated personality, which makes her getting the role of Yuki a bit of a surprise actually. I predict that when Kadokawa gets their lazy arse (yes, contrary to popular believe, it's got nothing to do with Kyoani as Kadokawa is the one calling the shots as they spearhead the project, and currently they are very happy in just milking the cashcow without the need to actually do any *new* work, plus they now have another cash cow that is Lucky Star to milk) around to do the rumored 2nd season of Haruhi based on the "Disappearance" novel will we really see what Minorin is capable of.

Quote:

"Japan is hardly roses all around" (houkoholic) seems like a bit of an understatement to me. The Japanese news seems full of corrupt commercial and political machinations of various kinds. I get the sense -- perhaps unjustified -- that certain worlds in Japan are really the "war of all against all." My sense is that Japanese courtesy hides intense and generalized interpersonal competition. Is this true?

Competition is not really the right word I would use. The courtesy Japanese displays, especially in a business situation, is really a mean for them to help each other out to avoid direct responsibility as then everyone's hands becomes dirty and everyone shares the same blame if things goes wrong. The problem with Japanese culture in general is that it is an extremely reactive society due to this mentaility. It's no exaggeration that they will not do anything until shit hits the fan and they can no longer cover it up.

Competition is not really the right word I would use. The courtesy Japanese displays, especially in a business situation, is really a mean for them to help each other out to avoid direct responsibility as then everyone's hands becomes dirty and everyone shares the same blame if things goes wrong. The problem with Japanese culture in general is that it is an extremely reactive society due to this mentaility. It's no exaggeration that they will not do anything until shit hits the fan and they can no longer cover it up.

Like those wacky cults out in the countryside. I remember reading a newspaper article a while back about some cult that put tin foil on their vehicles to protect them from brainwashing waves sent by communists (There words, not mine). Apparently they also decide the world was going to end in 2003 when I read the article when the Earth was struck by an unseen meteor. Anyway the article went on to ponder why Japan just allows these cults to exist without trying to do something about them, lest another case like the Aum Shinrikyo subway attack happen. It's a good question that unfortunately has no good answer.

Unfortunately, like I've said though, I see nothing really remarkable in Chihara Minori as a Seiyuu. I'm surprised to hear she is an extroverted person as get anything but that impression from her roles in anime seeming like cold reads. This comes from hearing he in Haruhi, Tenjho Tenge, Dragonaut (Trailer). The exception was Ikkitousen where I just found her voice raspy and unpleasant.

Minami isn't likely to do anything to change this impression either, here's what Wikipedia has to say about her:

Minami is a very quiet girl who does not show much emotion, hence her being often mistaken for being cool, but she is very kind at heart. She comes from a wealthy family, and her home is in the same neighborhood as Takara. She owns a very large white dog and has a parasol in her yard. Minami was admitted to Ryōō Gakuen High School along with Yutaka who she met during the admissions exam and is also in her class; Minami is the class health officer. Afterwards, she helped Yutaka go to the nurse's office when she became sick. Once there, she gave Yutaka her handkerchief. Minami has short mint-green hair and her eyes are blue and are slightly slanted upward. She is very slender, though she is worried about her small chest size. She gets along with Miyuki since they have similar tastes and are from the same neighborhood. Also, Minami likes to read books and play the piano.

So great, we basically have a slightly more extroverted and active Yuki Nagato character. Counting the similarites there's the quitetness, lack of emotion, the book reading, the small build, the hidden compassion. I think it's kind of obvious why Chihara Minori is playing this role, it starts with it being the only thing she seems fit for and it further serves to remind one of the extremely popular Yuki Nagato. In fact I would think comparison between the two characters is far more justified than comparison between Miyuki and Mikuru Try as you might they are making it really hard not to compare a lot of the aspects of Lucky Star to those of Haruhi. Let's wait and see how it goes down. Should be interesting I hope.

P.S: Japan needs to work on its nicknames. Minorin, Gotozou (There's actually a story behind this one so it's actually kind of creative), Aaya, Hikki. They're just kind of variations on their names with an extra vowel or consant tacked on. You might as well just refer to them by their given name in that case. Though why not something that conveys something about them as a person. I'm not a native Japanese speaker so I can't really make any recommendations, but people should know what I mean. The Duke, The Boss, King of Pop, Queen of Soul, The Red Comet, The Crimson Lighting, The Lighting Count, those are some examples of nicknames that are based on recognition of a persons achievements. It doesn't have to be achievement, but whatever, just use your imagination. Think of the possibilities. Ootakkami for Aya Hirano, there's an example combining the prominence of the Haruhi role in her career and making it a mock title of sorts for fun in regards to her popularity among Otaku (think like Otakon from Metal Gear Sold).

The point being that she's been on more TVs than even the most idolised seiyuu can claim, which means that she has way more experience in handling these situations and portraying a certain image to maximise her appeal. Despite being in a rather minor idol group, it is still a teenage girl idol group aiming for the general population, which is unarguably selling out their teenage moe at millions of pervy Japanese men (what else CAN they do besides that?), and that makes her experience in "calculated moe" leagues higher than the majority of the seiyuu....

Agreed, except to add that Aaya is more natural with it, so for me it is much more effective. Hocchan looks calculated in ways that the younger Aaya does not (partly just because she's younger). Even the NewType cheerleader video that just showed up, while the photo-shoot it shows is 100% calculated moe, has a direct, real atmosphere about it. And maybe a bit of irony, or at least an appearance of innocence and irony, rather than pure pretense and exploitation. Aaya's ability to do the dance steps so easily is clear evidence of her idol past. But I still think that you have to distinguish between the experience of a woman in her 20s and the experience of a teenaged child star.

The NewType photo-shoot is calculated moe, but the video has a realish feel about it, as they do the moves for the shoot. The contrast between the businesslike calculated moe of the NewType shoot and the comparative reality of the NHK interview and other things is a vivid illustration of the tension between Aya packaged as a normal moe idol seiyuu and Aya as more herself, which I find more attractive. Other people do ordinary moe better than she.

I have now seen the Nana videos you mentioned, and find her really attractive as a personality. I didn't find the first one that bad. They seemed to me to be making fun of otaku (not her) in a way that was fairly good-humored. Except for the little "onii-chan, tai-suki," I suppose. Which was, as you say, something they primed her to do. The singing clips made me realize again how good a singer she is.

__________________

Kimura Juri木村珠莉 Joined Tokyo Voice Actors' Co-op in 2011, did voice-overs for corporate presentations. Anime bit parts 2013-14. Stars in Shirobako as Miyamori, will star in Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku (spring). Enjoys music, looking at Buddha images, reading. Used to work at a bookstore. Says she is a maudlin drunk. Age unknown.Hashihime blog | Twitter@nakanokimi |

Rapidly diverging off topic, but I shall attempt to steer it back after I have my turn at the rudder.

Having not paid much attention to Chihara Minori's career until about 3 months ago, I can't style myself an expert like houkoholic. What I've seen, though, is more consistent performing and a smoother singing style than Hirano (think of the comparable Sakura Mao to God Knows). She could very well rise above Aya if only they didn't have their breakout roles working against/for them.

Now for topic.
Konata's dad was heard for the first time in any capacity in this new ep. A good, if short reading, with great chemistry between father and daughter. Thankfully I have no prior associations with this seiyuu.

Rapidly diverging off topic, but I shall attempt to steer it back after I have my turn at the rudder.

Having not paid much attention to Chihara Minori's career until about 3 months ago, I can't style myself an expert like houkoholic. What I've seen, though, is more consistent performing and a smoother singing style than Hirano (think of the comparable Sakura Mao to God Knows). She could very well rise above Aya if only they didn't have their breakout roles working against/for them.

Now for topic.
Konata's dad was heard for the first time in any capacity in this new ep. A good, if short reading, with great chemistry between father and daughter. Thankfully I have no prior associations with this seiyuu.

Are you saying he's bad? It's been almost 25 years since L-Gaim so he may be a bit rusty.

Minami isn't likely to do anything to change this impression either, here's what Wikipedia has to say about her:

Minami is a very quiet girl who does not show much emotion, hence her being often mistaken for being cool, but she is very kind at heart. She comes from a wealthy family, and her home is in the same neighborhood as Takara. She owns a very large white dog and has a parasol in her yard. Minami was admitted to Ryōō Gakuen High School along with Yutaka who she met during the admissions exam and is also in her class; Minami is the class health officer. Afterwards, she helped Yutaka go to the nurse's office when she became sick. Once there, she gave Yutaka her handkerchief. Minami has short mint-green hair and her eyes are blue and are slightly slanted upward. She is very slender, though she is worried about her small chest size. She gets along with Miyuki since they have similar tastes and are from the same neighborhood. Also, Minami likes to read books and play the piano.

So great, we basically have a slightly more extroverted and active Yuki Nagato character.

Actually, what comes to my mind is Azumanga Daioh's Sakaki --recast as a tall slender bit of moe rather than an amazon. Quiet, kind, interested in medicine, loves a large white dog - attaches herself to a very small character in the series.

@Kaoshin: No, I think Wavedash said Kona's dad was handled well by his VA ... we just don't get enough of him in this episode to pass any sort of judgement yet (as I waits for the subs).